Kingdom Teaching Part 2
Notes
Transcript
What is faith?
What is faith?
How we define faith will help us understand our passage this morning.
For we live by faith, not by sight.
We know this passage and we like to quote this passage. But sometimes I wonder if we unintentionally, at least I am almost certain I do, think of this out of context.
Faith is not believing despite evidence.
Faith is not believing despite evidence.
Faith can be rational, and sometimes it must be, but it is looking at the evidence and believing even when things are not 100% certain. I am not a car. Why? because the evidence says otherwise. It does not matter how much I believe and have “faith” about my existence the fact I am a human cannot be changed.
Faith is believing deeper than the evidence.
Faith is believing deeper than the evidence.
When things are not certain we must have faith.
How will God show up?
How will God show up?
Similar to our first question this one will help us understand our passage this morning. We all have expectations about how God/Jesus is supposed to work. These are not necessarily “wrong” but the issue becomes distressing when things don’t work the way they are “supposed” to. As we have already found out in the Gospel of Mark this is part of the issue. We have these parables in part because the expectations of the Jews are not being met.
Jesus encourages deeper hearing and seeing.
Jesus encourages deeper hearing and seeing.
This is the point of verses 24-25. If we are willing to see and hear with spiritual eyes and ears we will get more understanding.
Lord help us to see things as you see them.
Lord help us to see things as you see them.
May this be our prayer.
God will reveal His plan in His time.
God will reveal His plan in His time.
To some extent, the parable of the lamp stand has been fulfilled, if you ask me. Jesus asked people not to tell for a time period because the cross must be utilized.
God is in control!
God is in control!
This parable, and the others, are a reminder that God is in control and he will do what he needs to do. The parable of the seed, verses 2.0, reminds us that we do not do anything to get the grain to grow, it happens.
We must remember it is God’s kingdom.
We must remember it is God’s kingdom.
The stories are told as a way of understanding God’s kingdom, not ours.
God’s kingdom will produce fruit/harvest.
God’s kingdom will produce fruit/harvest.
The kingdom of God will always produce something.
God’s kingdom doesn’t look “great”.
God’s kingdom doesn’t look “great”.
The parable of the mustard seed is revolutionary in many ways. One would have expected Jesus to use the metaphor of the cedars of Lebanon but isntead he uses the seed of a busy. One of the early church fathers has said Pliny the Elder says of it, “Mustard … with its pungent taste and fiery effect … grows entirely wild, though it is improved by being transplanted: but on the other hand when it has once been sown it is scarcely possible to get the place free of it, as the seed when it falls germinates at once”
Witherington, B., III. (2001). The Gospel of Mark: a socio-rhetorical commentary (p. 172). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
We must learn patient perseverance.
We must learn patient perseverance.
I wish it wasn’t this way.
We must have faith to see.
Allow God to mess up your expectations.
Allow God to mess up your expectations.
This is much, much easier said than done. Yet, when we have faith we know that God’s ways are always better than our ways. God’s timing is always better than our timing. God is god and we are not! This is good news!